On the Origin of Story

I have always believed that stories, specifically fiction, were important to human development, but have never been able to adequately explain why.  Now Brian Boyd has written a book, On the Origin of Story: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction (Harvard University Press,) that puts forward a scholarly, scientific examination of the hows and whys without discounting the sheer pleasure we humans derive from stories.

Boyd makes an excellent case for art in general and storytelling in particular as evolutionary adaptations. We do indeed need art to live successfully as a society and to advance as human beings. The second half of the book takes a detailed look at two distinctly different kinds of stories: the “historical” story represented by Homer’s Odyssey and the “personal” story represented by Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who.

Reading On the Origin of Story got me thinking about the suppression of stories; not so much the outright banning of specific books, but the way that dictatorial authorities always seek to stamp out creative thought. Artists and intellectuals are always the first to be crushed when a new regime takes control. It is not just governments that do this, but also some religions (often the same ones who insist on a literal translation of the Bible-go figure.)

Fiction allows us to imagine and then to test out our imaginings without having to physically experience the events. Just as the invention of writing meant that knowledge could be passed from one generation to the next, so fiction can be used to pass on possibilities.